Strangers in a Strange Land
by doughxDude87
Summary: Ever since Emily's rise to the throne, the City Of Dunwell struggled for 7 years against the plague. Now free from it's grasp, Emily has attempted to create alliances with many Kingdoms one of them being Arendelle. Her Royal Protector, Corvo Attano, must accompany Emily to Arendelle, it was supposed to be a simple job however nothing is simple with the Outsiders plans.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary **

Set 7 years after the events of Dishonored and during and after frozen. This fic will try to stay true to the lore of both stories and will not affect the movie at all. Corvo and Emily travel to Arendelle a faraway land for the Queen's coronation and to strengthen Dunwall. What will happen? Nobody knows not even me. DISCLAIMER: I Don't own either of these stories

**Authors Notes**

Hello everyone this is my second fanfic. If you have seen my first one it died after three chapters for a few reasons and I will try to keep this one going strong. The last one helped me learn how to make this story better and not a pile of garbage. For one thing I actually know frozen and dishonored rather than playing one darkness game and watching kung fu panda and thinking I could do it.

Elements of tangled will appear. If you have never seen the movie relax it's not really going to ruin anything or make you confused, just a little treat for those who have.

Corvo is 46 and Emily is 17 just letting you know.

Feedback is crucial to me, if the story ends up sucking don't tell me it sucks and nothing else, leave some feedback and ways to improve it.

Note this chapter is just explaining the past 7 years in Dunwall. So it may be kind of boring to read the next ones will have some humor and action.

Ps I am very busy and I only have a few hours a week maximum to work on this. Also if anyone knows C# or the unity game engine please contact me I am having trouble making the player shoot.

**Chapter 1**

It has been seven long years after Corvo saved Emily and in that time Dunwall slowly grew prosperous. When Emily became Empress many people became nervous and scarred. They did not like having a child Empress nor did they like Corvo even after his name was cleared. His actions led others to become wary and scarred of him. There were many rumors about him such as how he used to sleep with Rats and turn into a shadow. These rumors were false of course but they did their job none the less and terrified the people.

Corvo was also appointed commander of the city watch. As much as Corvo distained this he secretly liked it. He enjoyed ruling over the people that tried to kill him after every move even when he exposed the people who ordered the assignation on Jessica. Emily made the right call, who better to command a force than someone that was able to sneak past and sabotage them. All the flaws that Corvo saw were quickly fixed and patched, this made the watch much more effective than ever before. Instead of trying to charge at one person from one side they were much more passive. They would surround them and try to stay out of range making them perfect for taking out gangs.

There were a few attempts to end Emily's reign and "save" Dunwall but they were all shot down by the city watch and Corvo. Emily said that the people were scared and angry with the rat plague and she did not hold those attempts on her life against those people. She threw them in Coleridge prison until times were better then she would let them out and they would be free. This awarded mixed reactions from the people. Some called her naïve others, weak for not sentencing them to life in prison or death, others praised her kindness. The rats became the main target from the start of Emily's rule as once they are gone it would only benefit people and strengthen her rule.

The rat plague that tormented the city was slowly wiped away taking long two years. At first the plague felt like it would have never been removed but thanks to Piero and Anton Sokolov efforts the plague died down. At first they had a passive role by mass producing potions that would prevent people from becoming sick. Latter on they became much more aggressive and set their sights on extermination. They developed poisons and small scale arc pylons and placed them around the city. These pylons would turn rats or weepers into ashes but would completely ignore anything that didn't display signs of being infectious. It was marveled by everyone and called the next best things since whipped cream. Ok fine maybe Corvo only said that but it was true. It was deployed a year into the war against the rats and proved to do wonders turning a problem that would have taken massive man power, money and ten years down to a year.

Once the rat war was over things started to look very bright, people looked to Emily for guidance and Corvo was always at her side. Attempts on her life has ceased no one was able to fault her for anything and the people that tried to take her life at the start have become her some of her strongest supporters. They knew what they tried to do was wrong and that it may have resulted in their deaths. However they did not know a person could have been so understanding and forgiving. They made sure to attend all of her rallies and speeches they were also the ones to cheer the loudest.

Piero and Anton also helped soothe the people of Dunwall with their invitations. They were hell bent on making life much more enjoyable for everyone, they tried to make machines that would do labour for them but they were too costly to be really useful. They were absolutely stumped but the solution was right under their noses.

The people grew to love music, bands started to pop up everywhere and this music was something that no one has ever heard before. The rat plague affected everyone's sprits and music. Instead of the boring ball room music that was played everywhere this new music was different. It was heavier louder had a bigger impact on people lives they would sing it and it would help them get through their day.

Bands like Iron maiden, Black Sabbath, Rush and many others started popping up all over the place and it clicked with everyone. People would talk and talk about this new sound and praise them. Their concerts were sold out and when they performed on the streets an empty street would soon become filled with people. It was a great thing but had to be banned due to all the complaints of people that needed to get to work and travel.

Naturally people wanted more to be able to listen to their music whenever they wanted to. This is what Piero and Sokolov tried to do, their first few attempts relied on trying to create a new type of technology which was very expensive and failed. They then aimed for a simpler route. They decided to make a compact card where the bands would record a copy and then mass produce it. It was an absolute hit and was compatible with the older players as well. This technology was called CS (Compact Sheet).

Emily used this to her advantage and played soft music over the Dunwall and noticed immediate effects. People were happier and much more productive than they ever were.

Dunwall was still in ruin from the past events but now Emily had a solid base and there were no more revolts or opposition. Trying to fix Dunwall alone and turn in back into a respectable place was going to take a lot of work and time. Time which is valuable, time which is in demand and time which that no one had. Everyone was too busy trying to earn a living off minimum wage. Their economy was on a slow rise but it would have taken too long to even try and get it up by themselves. They needed to be in control in case a war would ever break about between Dunwall and another empire.

The rest of the years after the rat war were spent trying to repair Dunwall and it was a slow steady process. It took too long for the likes of Corvo and Emily and they were starting to make plans. Dunwall is an isolated city that was never well known. May people never traveled in or out of Dunwall as there were stories of lost ships and sea monsters. Corvo didn't believe in sea monsters but he know something was fishy but for now he was thankful for that. It made the weak city have a cloud of mystery from most of the world. This protected them for one reason or another. Maybe the other empire thought they were very powerful or that their land was in disarray and taking it over would be counterproductive. Either way Emily did not care as long as they were safe for now.

Dunwall continued growing in power and started to communicate with other nearby lands. They were all similarly matched in technology but trying to join them would have been pointless, they want strong allies not people who were in a recovery.

During a talk with another kingdom which shot down their offer at an alliance told them that there were faraway lands who were not as advanced with them and one of the Kingdoms was about to have a coronation in several months. Emily and Corvo said their thanks for the information and decided to go and make friends with them.

It would have been a three month journey with a sail boat but whale oil is a beautiful thing. Their boat was filled with oil and extra for any other devices that may be used. Emily of course could not leave the Empire without a guide and appointed eight of her advisors to run a democratic rule for her time away.

The ship was a frigate class ship and is said to withstand pirates and sea creatures. In honor of the outsider the ship's name is the , this is a fitting name for a Royal Dunwall Ship. It was run by a crew of 50 and contained life boats and weaponry supplies in case anything would happen.

It was the night before the departure and the crew of the was very excited to leave Dunwall and see a new land. They ship was fully stocked and they were all ready to leave in the morning. They expected to arrive in Arendelle a week before the coronation. Some people said a week prior would be overkill but this would give them time to explore the land and a nice amount of room for error.

This is where our story really starts…

**Authors notes**

**Sorry it was so slow and that it was all about Dunwall but I felt like it was a must. The next chapter will be much more interesting and exciting. I expect the next chapter will be out in a week or two. No promises like I said I'm very busy.**

**Ps I'm trying to avoid italics as it is broken on mobile or maybe it's just the 3ds. **

**Please review any feedback is welcomed **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Sorry that this took a while as I had time to write this three times since my last update. My schedule is a lot clearer so I think a new chapter will be out sometime this week.**

**MAKE SURE YOU READ THE NOTES IN THE BOTTOM**

**Thank you to all of those who have reviewed. I'm taking all the feedback into consideration for later chapters.**

**Sorry that the prologue was very rigid and kind of boring but it was pretty much a must as it gives me much more flexibility now.**

**So without further ado…**

Chapter 2

Tomorrow is a big day for Dunwall and its entire population. For tomorrow was the day that Corvo, Emily and their crew will set sail for Arendelle. However, Corvo himself was merely thinking about how this will change everything. He has seen first-hand the plague that has ridden the streets and now that it's gone, he could only hope that such good fortunes would continue to favor them in their future endeavors.

As for Corvo himself, he was up in his room thinking about the next day. He was running mental checklists for anything that could go wrong on the voyage to Arendelle while considering their necessary course of actions needed to be taken the moment they set port on Arendelle. He knew the royal ship and its' crew can hold in its own should it come across bandits or pirates, but it never hurt to be extra prepared.

Corvo never considered himself a man who does paper work, but he was also the only person he could truly count on. When he ran though the last items through his head, he wrote a quick letter to be sent to the captain of the vessel to slightly increase the stock of food to be increased from a weeks' worth to several weeks. Even though it should only take a week together if the engines were to break down they would starve before they reach the kingdom. He also included in the note to replace the sails with a new swath, re-candle the lamps on the vessel, and other such necessities that are imperative to their journey. Once he delivered the letter he left for his chambers.

Removing his royal protector clothes and armor from his very body, he undressed into a robe and went to lie down in his bed. It wasn't much, but it was better than sleeping with the rats that covered the city during the plague long ago in the cold floors of the sewers.

Looking back to the past events earlier this week, it all felt like it went by in a blur. He knew that those that will travel with him and Emily were working hard to prepare for the journey to Arendelle. Thanks to his informative letter, food and weapons was being loaded into the S.S. Outsider by the cartfull. The ships guns were being tested and fully loaded while inspections were being made in every nook and cranny. His thoughts then became reminiscent about how Emily was taking all this in.

Being in his mid-forties, Corvo was hoping around the city like a child on Christmas morning (even though it feels like forever since he last celebrated that) but that was nothing compared to the Empress's actions. For the past week it felt like she was jacked up onto the new coffee beans that were being imported south of Europe and the sugar that kept her awake in her day-to-day tea. To his own amusement, Corvo enjoyed seeing her like this. Emily was usually very regal in public and when talking to other nobles. Corvo smirked to himself as he remembered seeing her pace her office for hours on end and rambling to herself about the plans necessary for their journey.

He made sure to avoid her when she was doing this. It wasn't that he didn't like her company, for she always did feel safe with her protector nearby, but he learned from past experience that she could talk for hours about anything to get her mind off something, like the time she couldn't stop telling Corvo about the coronation. So from now on, whenever he hears her though a door or around a corner he turns around and walks the other way or he'll hide up in the rafters. Anything but talking to her about Arendelle's royal family for hours, she seemed to be getting a bit better about this but there was no way Corvo was risking it. But that didn't mean he was AWAY from her, when left by herself, Corvo was good at hiding in nearby places where she can't see him but he can see her.

Like a hawk eyeing its baby.

His thoughts began to dim as he felt exhaustion squeeze his heart and made his head heavy as he yawned. He felt sleep overtake his senses and allowed himself to be comfortable before the dark corners of his mind seduce him into slumber.

Sleep was like a lover to Corvo, for there were times where he stayed awake for days on end and prayed to return to bed so that he may once again fee the warmth of his sheets and rest, but not on this night.

…

Corvo's state of mind woke up, but also felt like he was still sleeping. He would have been confused if it wasn't for the fact that he has travelled to this place so many times. No, 'travel' wasn't the right word. Truth be told, he wasn't sure how he even goes into the Void, he just suddenly feels himself in the Void from time to time. He didn't even need to know he was in the Void, for he could feel the lifelessness surrounding him. It felt like nothing, not hot, not cold, not wet, not dry, no fresh or dirty air just space.

And from what he could tell that was what the void is, nothing but the emptiness.

Corvo also knew that whenever he is in the Void, he never gets to roam around but is always met by the 'Outsider.' He got a bad feeling in his gut the Outsider never wanted to just 'talk' to Corvo. He only called when something interesting would be changing his fate and that never meant anything good. The last time Corvo met the Outsider, Corvo brought down an entire corrupt government so he doubted this was to congratulate him on his position.

Corvo wanted to get this over with, so he walked the obvious path seeing images of Dunwall pop up around him, until he ended up starring into the lifeless eyes of the Outsider himself.

"Hello Corvo. Its' been a long time hasn't it?" The Outsider spoke with no emotion, only with that of curiosity and authority, "It felt like only yesterday that you saved the Empress and left a sword in a few noble's back. Now all you do is go to random places to fetch bones like a dog."

Corvo cringed. He was insulted when he compared to his position to that of a dog, but he tried to avoid killing since then. It may seem to be such a lazy and chaotic way to finish missions, but sometimes there was no way around it.

Anyways, Corvo knew better than to interrupt the Outsider. He was sure that The Outsider's monologues were always interesting and usually contained useful information.

The Outsider continued, "I know that you are nervous about going to Arendelle. Why is that? Are you really going because you wanted to strengthen Dunwall, or do you want to plunge a potential enemy into chaos so that Emily could conquer it?"

Again, Corvo wasn't sure what the plan was, besides try to make an ally. They never really discussed what would happen if they declined, or worse fall victim to a power hungry nation. There was no real information that they had on Arendelle since they were so far away, and due to the fact that Dunwall is very isolated from other countries.

"You may have saved Dunwall once, but can you do it again?" The Outsider questioned with much curiosity, "You're journey isn't finished yet, for the following events that are to come will be quite interesting. However, all you need to know is that you must never let your guard down, for the last time you did that was when poor Jessamine died."

Corvo felt his heart go heavy. Not a day goes by when he thinks of the Empress's death. He couldn't of stopped them and saved her, but there was nothing he could do. If only was he more alert and faster would this never happened

He has heard the rumors that everyone has spoken of. They say that he was more than a Royal Protector to her and became her lover. People also rumored that maybe Corvo is the father of Emily.

Everything in his private life has always remained secret to all, but he is certain that the rumors are lies. He would never lay in bed with the Empress herself and make her bear his child. Jessamine was a royal and he was a Royal Protector, and he made sure that there was nothing else. His bonds with Jessamine and Emily however go deep, like he was with them as a family, making Corvo the father Emily has never had. He couldn't forgive himself for what happened that day, but he knew that he could find solstice in protecting Emily.

At that, the Outsider vanished and the Void became nothing once more.

…

Corvo woke up to the sound of knocking on his door.

"Royal Protector," an informant said from behind his door, "You set sail for Arendelle in three hours. Breakfast is being served in the main hall. Emily requests your presence."

Corvo grunted in reply as he got up from the warmth of his bed, "All right, I'll be right out."

His recent events with the Outsider have unnerved him to say the least. Especially opening old scars that had healed over. However, Corvo was smart enough to know that nothing good ever came from following those meetings with the Outsider, but there was no backing down for what is to come. All he knew was that he had a job to do and he would see it finished. He got out of bed and put on his black robes with yellow outlines, his assassins robes he wore back in the day, but it was changed to reveal the rank of his position. He then placed his battle gear, pouches, weapons, and ammunition belts always came in handy. Then he put his nine bone charm bandolier. The bone charms he has in his possession were very general and were all meant to aid him in any situation. He avoided using cured charms but when he was desperate he would sometimes be forced to use it. At that thought, he looked at his left hand and felt the mark on his flesh as he moved the muscles in his hands as he closed his hands into a fist. It glowed with such power; he is still at awe at how much power he possesses in him. He relaxed and then headed out for breakfast. It was a quiet walk to the main hall since it was so early and after a minute or two of thinking to himself, he arrived.

At the table, Emily was sitting at the end eat her soup while his friend, Piero, was also eating the same soup. Emily looked up and smiled at seeing her protector and said, "Hey Corvo, come sit next to me, we already ordered you food." Piero smiled to his friend and waved him over. Corvo didn't realize how hungry he was until he saw the thick soup that contained pieces of fresh chicken and pieces of broccoli. He resisted the urge to dig in and tried to make some conversation as he sat down next to Emily, across from Piero.

"Big day today, huh?" Piero said to Corvo with a smile, "I kind of wish I could go with you on your journey, but I am going to be very busy in the coming weeks to come."

Corvo gave a sad smile. It was Piero who gave him supplies, put the guards to sleep with the arc pylon 2.0, helped him rescue Emily, and even given him the mask to conceal his identity. His thoughts were cut off when Emily huffed while waving a hand away and said, "Oh nonsense! Surely you could take a break Piero. Come with us."

"Oh no, I couldn't interrupt this, it's best if you and Corvo go without me." Piero said in response to Emily's request

Emily than folded her hands together and begged to him nicely, "Please, please, please, please pleeeaasseeeeeeee, you deserve this break after everything you've done for me and Corvo."

Piero thought on it and said, "Well, I'm not real-"

"PLEAASSEEEEE!" Emily said, giving him the biggest eyes that no beggar could ever achieve

Piero finally gave up and exclaimed with and exasperated look "Fine! I'll go…" but Corvo was able to notice a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips

Emily squealed in delight and said, "Yay! My two favorite people in the world are coming with me to Arendelle! I'm so excited."

It amazed Corvo how different Emily was in public compared to being in private, and that always made him smile.

The trio sat and finished their breakfast discussing what they thought Arendelle was going to be like. They discussed what they thought the royals were like and what the people thought of them. This was a lot of speculation of course since they knew nothing about Arendelle. Corvo still had yet to bring up his visit with the Outsider, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to. He didn't feel like worrying anyone but at the same time it was almost as if they deserved to know. Instead Corvo figured he would give it some time and play it by year.

Corvo was drawn out of his thoughts by Emily calling his name "Corvo… Corvo, it's time to go and pack any last minute items."

Corvo got out of his seat and said, "Yeah, I'll be ready in about a half an hour."

As Corvo walked towards, he looked back from the entrance way from the room and said, "Say Piero, do you need any help packing your things onto the S.S. Outsider?"

Piero assured him by saying, "No, I'm fine. I can handle it by myself."

Corvo smiled and said while waving, "Great. I'll see you two around."

As Corvo walked back to his room he contemplated that breakfast went better than he expected. Piero decided to go on "vacation" with them and they had a good time earlier talking about what they thought Arendelle may be like. He was glad that Piero decided to do this, if something was to go wrong it would be good to have a pro supply him with more tools. The last time he bought from some random guy, well lets' just say his eyebrows were quite well gone. Piero is also a kind person with the best intentions. His philosophy and judgment alone will keep his mind calm in the days to come.

Corvo packed most of his possessions already, but there were some that he wanted to remain nearby. He grabbed a midsized burlap sack and went to his desk. Opening his secret safe, he grabbed all of his bone charms and spare runes and placed them in the sack. He collected these relics over the years, but he didn't find that many runes as he collected many of them during the time he spent rescuing Emily, but some were better than nothing.

He learned the hard way to count his blessings.

He didn't have that much of a need for them yet so he decided to store them for the time being. The last thing he grabbed was his infamous mask. He placed the mask in a hidden bottom under his safe. He gently picked it up and looked at the mask before him.

He remembered the last time he wore this mask, and it was when he ended the very people who killed Jessamine, kidnaped Emily, and left him to rot in a prison awaiting his execution. The mask he sees before him has rusted a little since the time he used it. Piero created the mask himself and gave it to him to conceal his identity. Not only did it do that, but it protected the people he cared for and strikes fear to those who saw it. It was pieces of grey metal welded together, perfectly shaping the outlines of a human skull. The metal jaw pieces and the split in the mask are held together by a sowing cloth for comfort and by the yellow strings as well. The goggles hidden between the cloth and the outside of the mask allowed him to see farther and clearer. Somewhere deep inside him, he yearned to wear it again and hunt those who deserve the end of his blade at night.

But he was not a killer anymore. He knew one day though it will come in handy, so he placed it inside his coat pocket near his recently used bone charms.

But along his mask that was hidden inside the safe was also one of his most important relics above all others…

…a living, beating, mechanical heart, and inside it contained the soul of none other than the Empress Jessamine Kaldwin. The Outsider said to him when Corvo was given the heart, "_The heart of a living thing, molded by my hands._"

It was a cracked red metal shaped together to look like a heart, with carvings at the bottom and metal wiring wrapping around its pulsing shell to keep it together. Through the lens, he saw the white spirit within glow the moment he held it in his hand. Corvo waited for her to speak, but she said nothing. It aided him in more ways than one, located artifacts, learning secrets of his enemies, and even advising him of things unknown to him. It took him a matter of time when using this heart to realize that it was the Empress herself that was trapped within the heart. He wanted to destroy it, set her free from this small prison. It seemed only right, but he kept it, so that one day Emily shall possess it and use it to guide her to becoming the Empress that this kingdom needs. He knew that day would come, so he took the heart and placed it with his other possessions in the sack.

After locking his safe, Corvo grabbed his bag and decided to have some fun and blink to the ship.

He loved his powers. Not only did he have powers that let him do the impossible but he felt younger, stronger, and maybe even cockier towards his enemies. In fact he was in better shape than nearly everyone in Dunwall.

Due to his blink, the city's rooftops went by in a blur. He felt the wind in his face, his feet slamming against the roofs at full sprint, his sack bouncing against his back at every shift, jump, and step he took. Corvo loved this feeling of freedom, and it made him feel like a predator, looking above his prey while everyone below him doesn't look up to see him about to trap them.

It made him feel powerful.

But the views of the rooftops he once scaled made him remember the dark streets where bodies were piled on top of one another and the rats feasted on the corpses like gluttons.

When the reign of his enemies ended, he wondered about the plague and the dying people and thought of his actions that lead to his victory:

Should he begin at the rubble or should he start by learning his sins?

Corvo thoughts were interrupted when he saw the sight of the harbor with a docked S.S. Outsider in port. He blinked towards the dock and appeared in front of everyone that was on the harbor. He wanted to laugh at their stupid reactions, but he decided to keep it to himself and sped off onto than into the ship. He was ready to leave and decided to do a last minute check of the ship and see if his requests were meet. Once he was satisfied with everything, all he could do was wait.

Waiting was second nature to him. It allowed him to think and enjoy the peace of the harbor and the sea wind brushing against his face.

After waiting for two hours on the ship's deck, Emily, Piero, and a few of Emily's NEW advisors made their appearance. That was Corvo's cue to check on the captain. He got to the top of the deck and asked the captain what time they were setting sail. He learned that they were just about to leave and that if he wished he should go to railing for the send-off.

Corvo didn't care for these things, he never preferred to put himself in the spotlight of the people, but he knew Emily did and as her royal protector it was his job to be by her side.

It was like he didn't have a choice.

He found her waving to the crowd down below and he waved as well. To Emily, her amusement was noticed by Corvo and smiled to him, and which he returned the gesture.

At that the ship's horn honked and they began to set sail, with the flag and the sails symbolizing the Kingdom's new crest.

Emily redid the crest of the kingdom in honor of Corvo's services to her.

The crest that waved proudly over their heads on the flag was none other than The Outsider's Mark.

…

**A/N:**

**Well this turned out different that I expected. The next chapter is where things may or may not get interesting to say the least. I really wanna start a fight so badly, maybe I'll throw in some pirates or something.**

**Ok guys and girls I need some serious advice on the next chapter. To make things interesting I was thinking of adding some monster hunter to the mix. Just the beasts none of the lore, story or anything else. I'd post a link to the wiki for each beast if you wanted to see. What do you think? I feel like it could really help the next chapter(s) **

**Link to a possible monster**

** wiki/Abyssal_Lagiacrus**

**I have a feeling that the characters from frozen will be introduced around chapter four or five.**

**As always please give a review as they are very valuable to me.**

**Special thanks to MASTER T-REX (see him below) for being an amazing beta reader (he somehow added on about 2 thousand words).**

**u/3141720/MASTER-T-REX**


	3. Chapter 3: Beneath the Black Flag

I would like to thank all of those who have reviewed and followed the story.

I am going to start giving chapter's titles this one is a miracle of sound song. If you want to listen to it, it is available to view on youtube.

Chapter 3: Beneath the Black Flag

For as long as Corvo could remember, he spent nearly all of his time by Emily's side, as well as her mother's side before her passing. His duty and sole purpose was to protect the Royal Family. Corvo guarded them with his life, like a father protecting his daughter and wife. And in doing so, he considered every possible lead that could potentially compromise Emily and her mother's safety.

But since that faithful day, he was now more determined to protect Emily.

From the moment they began to plan their journey, Corvo trusted the crew well enough to know that Emily would not be in any danger by them. However, he was rather more worried about the people that posed a threat to their journey or the creatures that have been rumored to dwell in the waters. Corvo has heard sailors in the local taverns talk about these creatures that swim through the ocean. They have always blamed the cause of lost ships on these beasts. But they never were able to actually prove that such creatures existed. However, their imagination of all the unique beasts that they ever saw did impress Corvo.

Corvo knew that these tales were made up for attention and fun. The real culprit of the lost ships were most likely pirates or rogue storms.

Rogue storms of thunder, waves, rain, and even twisters were unpredictable. Pirates were bands of ruthless sea plunderers and bandits; they fought for themselves in the name of greed and didn't care what happens to others, so long as they get that small piece of gold they were killing for. Corvo saw this first-hand during his earlier travels at sea. If Corvo could remember correctly, the fools tried to board them and steal the ship, kill everyone, and take what they could carry. Corvo smiled, knowing that they unfortunately picked the wrong ship to plunder. If they didn't get blasted to pieces by the navy's cannons, the royal guards would usually execute them. While Corvo would be a part of the fight, he would rather stay and guard Emily. But on the rare occasion that the pirates were a real threat he would go behind enemy lines and took advantage of the many possibilities to sink a ship...

Still, it never hurt to be careful. Corvo knew that not all pirates were complete idiots to attack a heavily armed vessel without getting killed themselves. Even though they couldn't sink this kind of ship, they could still provide problems for your average merchant vessel. This was but yet another problem that Emily had to deal with. Unfortunately, insufficient funds made plans to having a proper navy are put on hold.

In other words, the only ship that they could use to brace against other ship and storm was the S.S. Outsider, a military-issued creaking man-of-war, designed for transporting the Empress herself.

Fortune favored them in their travel. The sun was high, the wind strong, and the engines at full speed. They were making good time and haven't had any interruptions, granted that it was only the second day of their voyage so far. Corvo was whistling "The Drunken Whaler" to himself. If you knew the song by heart, then you were born in Dunwell. He caught a few guards on the streets whistle the sinister tone to themselves as he was searching for Emily and neutralizing his targets.

The very song reminded him of the Void and its powers, how dark and sinister they are to others who used them. By some miracle, Corvo never used his powers to harm people, both friend and foe. His whistling was cut short when he saw Emily near him, holding a rope close to him, smiling while her hair waved in the breeze.

Corvo couldn't help but smile, proud of Emily and the actions she took to protect Dunwall and its city.

"We are making good time, aren't we Corvo?" Emily asked, "I asked the captain earlier when we would arrive and he said that if we make it without any hiccups, we'll be there a day ahead before arriving, maybe sooner if the wind continues to favor us."

Corvo just nodded his head in understanding, but something was bugging him and he had to ask.

"Emily," Corvo began, "when we do get to the kingdom of Arendelle, what do you plan on doing? So far, I have no clue as to what your next steps are."

Emily shyly looked away and said with worry, "Actually…"

Corvo began to be curious and worried at the same time and asked, "What?"

"That may or may not be the plan." Emily admitted

Corvo looked to her with now complete worry and asked, "You are kidding, right?"

"Ummm… yes?" Emily flinched as she answered

Corvo gave her a hard stare.

Emily began to feel pressured by Corvo's concern and said, "I meant to say no, yeah that sounds right."

Corvo just looked at her, dumbfounded in this time of need. He couldn't believe it, no plan, no royal hearing, nothing.

Then it hit him, and he just had to smile, which Emily noticed and then began to be worried about his expression.

During the time he spent rescuing Emily, he just played it as it went. All he had was a name to find and eliminate, and he usually made his plans as he went. He likes giving fancy titles to regular things as he calls his 'strategy' being flexible, aka making it up as he goes (but people don't have to know that part).

Corvo asked Emily's permission to accompany her to her cabin. Holding her hand to steady her across the shaking ship, they traveled across the deck until they reached the cabins in the back of the ship.

Her room was similar to that of a royal bed chamber, just less expensive. It had a bed that was actually comfortable, a desk with candles, quill, ink, and paper, and lanterns to illuminate the room.

Corvo sat down with Emily and opened a letter to be sent to the Kingdom on their arrival. Corvo actually thought this up in one go. He wanted to meet the Queen after her coronation and begin to bring their two kingdoms in a friendly bond. Corvo realized that Dunwell may not have many precious resources that many would need, but there was one resource that they had: whales. The bones would be used in many ways, such as for jewelry, fashion, furniture, and what not. The ivory could be used to fashion stronger metals and clothes, and the fat and meat could feed families by the masses, if not all the rats of Dunwell. Plus, such a supply of whale oil allowed people to have electricity to power their homes, to boil their water for food and baths, make machines come to life, security could improve, and other benefits. Sell that to anyone for a reasonable price can bring a fortune to both kingdoms.

When they completed their draft and finalized it with ink, Emily wrote her signature (with her Royal Protector's help) and set it aside in a drawer. Emily just smiled at Corvo for his help and thanked him for his services. Corvo bowed and said that it was his duty to assist her in any way.

With nothing to do, Corvo decided to teach Emily how to play chess. She was catching on too quickly for his taste, knowing how each piece functioned and was slowly taking away his pawns. Corvo thought to himself that he was getting to old for this game. His thoughts then glided to the Heart he had in this possession, and then began to think when he should give it to Emily. Just then, a horned sounded from their ship, stopping the pair from their game.

That was the war horn, and that meant that there was a threat closing in on their position. Three guards that served as her royal guards or as Corvo called meat shields stormed into Emily's cabin. Despite the nickname that Corvo silently gave them, he knew that they were capable and would trade their life in a heartbeat to keep her safe. Corvo has always doubted that anyone would be fully able to protect Emily from every threat, but safety was something he never took lightly, which was why Corvo himself handpicked these three men for such a purpose.

When Corvo left Emily in their care and emerged from her cabin onto the deck, he immediately eyed the pirates approaching them to the right towards the port side. What surprised him this time was that instead of one ship there were three. These ships were however similar to the other boats he used to encounter and he knew they weren't going to be a push over. From what Corvo could tell, it would take a while before the pirates were in firing range, so this gave the S.S. Outsider time to react. Corvo cracked his knuckles and rolled his neck, and then ran over to the Captain.

The captain saw Corvo running up the steps and said to him as he turned starboard to go on the offensive, "Royal Protector, as good as this ship may be in combat, we just can't fight three pirate ships at once. We'd be ripped to pieces by the time we take one out."

Corvo let out a growl, knowing that the experienced Captain was right. As he turned to the pirate ships again, he began to think. Corvo thought of the crew, there were enough of them to arm the canons on both sides of the man-of-war and enough guards on the deck to defend them, leaving the third boat to tear them apart if they luckily manage to get two ships.

As they got closer to firing range, Corvo then had a brilliant idea.

Corvo looked to the Captain and said, "How will this ship fair against two of the three?"

The Captain quickly thought of this and replied, "Taking on two of the three is doable. Their wooden boats don't stand a chance against all of our cannons."

Corvo said in reply, "Okay, bring me close to the middle ship as best as you can. From there, I'll board it and takedown the crew. Focus your fire on the far left ship than after its sinks, take out the right ship. If they try to board I'll rush back and help.

The Captain nodded as the crew began to pull back the wooden planks covering the hull and pushing out their cannons, "Complete your goal with haste but be quick with it, the reinforced steel on our hull can take a hell of beating but I don't want us sinking to our deaths."

THAT was the last thing Corvo wanted to happen to Emily and every man on the S.S. Outsider. He ran to his room to grab his mask as he heard the captain shouted to fire at will.

The sounds of the cannons were deafening, a constant barrage of concentrated fire. The cannons on the deck were big and very loud but it was nothing compared to the smaller weaker cannons bellow. They were hidden from the enemy but when the doors drop the sheer number of cannons would bring most ships to their icy graves at a frightening speed. It was also the sound of chaos that made him hear its musical roar of death. Corvo smirked, knowing that the first pirate ship would not be able to handle another minute of the S.S. Outsider's cannons.

When Corvo grabbed his mask, the rusty and deadly mask he held before him, gave him a wave of raw satisfaction, knowing that when he wears it, he will instil fear into all who see it.

He pulled up his strapped hood, then flipped it around and putted it on his face, and he heard the mask compress to stick to his face. The lenses then leveled itself out to give Corvo a more clearer and lifelike visual of the world around him.

It felt like an old fitting suit that he never got the chance to wear… until now.

Corvo grabbed his crossbow and ammo and ran out onto the deck just as they started receiving fire from one of the pirate ships. He took notice that the pirate ship was looking a bit different and after another minute or so it would vanish from the earth's surface. He smiled to himself as some of the pirates were already abandoning ship. Then as it happened, the same ship collapsed in on itself and was sinking, the rest of their crew either drowned or stayed afloat on debris in the freezing cold water.

One down two to go. Corvo thought

The middle ship was however still out of blinking range. Corvo looked up to see the middle mast wide enough to blink towards that ship. Corvo squeezed his left hand, his mark glowing, and 'blinked' to the mast. He ran until he was at the edge, and then blinked to the mast of the pirate boat, giving him an aerial advantage above his enemies.

In fair distance of three cannons, he dropped down, some of crew seeing his mask in fear that Death himself has come to claim their souls, and then froze time. Corvo quickly moved the gunpowder that was nearby towards some nearby red powder kegs, than grabbed a lamp and threw it, and when time would resume it would shattered upon contact, then Corvo blinked up the mast, getting a view of a spectacle he was about to create created.

When time resumed on cue of his absence, there was a big flare erupted from the ship, covering it in flames. Their screams were noticed.

And he wasn't disappointed.

Fire is always the perfect distraction. Corvo thought mischievously

Corvo looked by quick enough to notice that he was just about to get clubbed in the back of the head by the man in the crow's nest but he stopped in shock of seeing his mask. Corvo didn't hesitate to knock him off the crow's nest with a wind blast, where he unfortunately happened to collide with a pirate cannon ball shot. His body dissolved into a red mist spraying chunks of him across the other pirates. They were unfazed as they there time trying to deal with the fire that Corvo started. Those that weren't were still firing at the S.S. Outsider.

Usually Corvo tried to be silent but he had no sympathy for pirates. He knew they were rotten to the bone. They kill, steal and rape helpless victims. It made his blood boil and left Corvo wanting to show no signs of mercy. These people weren't like the City Watch; they followed orders not knowing that they were fighting for those who killed the Empress. If the pirates weren't taken care of now, they would continue their evil ways and ruin even more people.

It had to end.

However Corvo did realize that the pirates could be useful based on what resources they had. He decided to spare most of the ship from what would be certain death.

The distraction that he created earlier has served its purpose as most of the crew was finally no longer firing at the S.S. Outsider. He was able to drop two special arc pylon grenades right in the middle of the group of pirates.

"Thank you Piero." Corvo muttered as the arc pylon grenades released a weak but effect electric charge in all directions, sending the 10 temporarily 'fire fighters' to the ground of the deck, too stunned to move. He dropped down to the deck cleaning up the eight remaining pirates that were helping their buddies and taking out the fire. He worked silently as he could by chocking out at least three of them. By the time the fourth person was in his chock-hold, the other remaining four noticed his presence and his deadly mask.

By then it was too late for them, for Corvo dropped the unconscious body from his arm, pulled out his crossbow and fired two sleep darts at two of the four pirates. Both fell back, surely knocking them out. Corvo pulled out his blade, swinging it in the air and then it popped out, revealing the slender and powerful dagger in his hand. One pirate was brave enough to fight him, but Corvo was ready for his swing, and when he was open, Corvo hooked his sword against his and it flew out of his hand. Corvo's fist then collided with his skull, knocking him out. The remaining pirate ran, as fast as his legs could take him and jumped into the water, swimming to the other ship.

Corvo chuckled to himself and went below deck to check to see if there were more. As he strolled through the lower deck he heard a man cursing behind a door, cursing to himself that he knew he shouldn't have attacked the vessel.

Corvo smiled, knowing that he was dead right. He readied his sleep dart and blasted the door off with a wind blast, stunning the man who had his arms up over his eyes. Due to the clothing he had on Corvo assumed he was the captain. As he had his hands up Corvo landed the shot and he collapsed instantly. After he carried him up on the deck with the rest of the crew and dropped him, he walked over to the railing to view the battle from the eerily quiet ship.

Two down, one to go. Corvo thought as he planned his next moves

The last pirate ship was a lot tougher but it was still in worse condition. He noticed that the cannon fire stopped and that the battle moved to the S.S. Outsider's deck, for the winner would claim the ship.

Corvo's first instinct was that he HAD to reach the ship, to save Emily and as many as he could. He felt his left hand squeeze, his mark telling him that he was running out of void magic. Corvo quickly drank a spiritual remedy, than used his blink to climb the masts of the ship he was on to the other pirate ship, than to the S.S. Outsider, giving him an aerial view of the battle.

Based on what he could see, the fight was fairly even. The guards and what was left of the crew were guarding the way to Emily's cabin, remaining on the defensive, while the pirates, outnumbering the guards and crew combined, were trying their best to break that defense. His initial goal was to get to Emily and work from there but that changed when he quickly created a more brilliant strategy.

Corvo would use his rats as the perfect distraction. The fact that people have known that Dunwell had the plague was a psychological advantage, and for this, fear will be his ally, for his rats will give the illusion that the plague is on the ship.

Corvo also looked at the back of the ship and remembered the arc pylon 2.0 that was installed there, thanks to necessary precautions that Piero brought up. This one had a smaller range than the original, enough to cover the ship, but the advantage to that was that it didn't require as much whale oil tanks as the other version.

It also appeared to him that the soldiers tried to activate it but ran out of time as the pirates had taken over it, but they had no clue what it even was.

Corvo knew that his prayers to the Outsider were meet; his good fortune wasn't gonna run out anytime soon and smiled, thankful that Dunwell was isolated, or their technology would be recognized and they would constantly be under attack by other kingdoms for it.

Corvo summoned his rats within middle of the pirate crowd in masses, ordered by Corvo's will to only distract, distracting most of the pirates and a fearful panic of the plague. Corvo then blinked over the battle from mast to mast as the guards and crew held their own. He made his way to the pylon that was prepared for its charge, but he noticed that it was missing a whale oil tank, which was lying in the grasp of a dead guard nearby. He ripped it out of his grasp and slammed it in the slot, watching the pylon come to life.

Before he could however activate it, he heard a war cry behind him and saw a big burly pirate about to chop his head off. Corvo rolled back as it dug deep into the wood on his feet. The man turned and got a good view of Corvo, and was suddenly surprised and showed a little fear at the sight of him.

That second of hesitation was all Corvo need.

He raised his left hand and became a shadow, and then entered the mind of the man.

Corvo always felt uncomfortable when doing this, because it felt supernatural and weird to invade a person's mind, but he found it necessary sometimes. Corvo also found this as a major advantage because the man's strength can allow Corvo to easily activate the machine. He made the man grasp the switch and put all his force downward on it.

He considered burning them to ashes but it was just too ruthless for him to do. Corvo thought to himself that he will not act like the savages he was fighting and just as the switch was about to happen he unpossessed the man to avoid knocking himself out and watched all the pirates fall to the ground snoring and twitching. The Crew of the S.S. Outsider cheered and lifted Corvo on their shoulders.

…

The Captain of the pirates slowly woke up tied to the mast, along with what remained of his crew on the ship that Corvo took control of by himself.

And before him stood a young woman.

She smiled to him and said, "Hello, my name is Emily Kaldwin, Empress of Dunwell. I wish to parlay with you in hopes that your men will survive this exchange."

The captain looked around to see two of his ships gone and the one he was on was without any masts, which were blown apart by the cannons.

"In exchange for letting you live," Emily began, "we have taken your valuables, riches, and certain supplies that will aid us in repairing my ship that you damaged. We however didn't take your supply of food, for we have no need for that."

The Captain of the pirates smiled and laughed as he mocked her, "You're Emily, the new Empress? Ha! I heard rumors of your mother whoring herself, leaving you to be a bastard chi-"

A fist suddenly made contact with his jaw, interrupting his words. The Captain felt his hair being pulled to see a man with the mask that matched death Himself. From a ring of keys, a blade appeared out of nowhere. Like grabbing the back of a snake's neck to open its mouth, he then grabbed the man's neck and pressed the skin under his tonsils, making him open his mouth and pressed the tip of his blade under his tongue, silently threatening to cut it off if he spoke.

Emily said with all seriousness, "This is my Royal Protector. He gets quite sensitive when you speak ill of my bloodline. My guards, crew, and my royal protector decided that we shall let you live for the aid that your ship has given us. But the fact remains that it is my royal protector's decision if he wants to cut off your tongue or not, as well as either kill or spare your crew, but all you must do is apologize to me, my protector, and my guards and crew for your act of piracy and you shall live."

The crew watched with fear of the man with the blade at the captain's tongue stood still, his mask blank and without any emotion, only an imposing stare of fear.

The Captain than said something, which is hard to understand with metal in his mouth.

Emily sighed and said, "Corvo, you know that it is impolite to keep a dagger at someone's tongue if they wish to speak."

The man, Corvo, removed the blade and released his neck. The Captain felt the taste of iron, or dried up blood, on the blade and didn't want to taste his own in fear of what might come next.

The Captain apologized on behalf of himself and his crew for their act of piracy.

When they left, they realized that they weren't gonna untie them. When they reached their ship, Corvo held out his left hand and his mark burned bright yellow, as he blinked to the ship. He had some last minute business. He primarily knocked their cannons off the ship and setting a little surprise for the crew. Twenty minutes later he returned to the S.S. Outsider. The pirates were still very nervous but the captain started to get frustrated at the fact that they couldn't leave. Still he held his tongue as he doubted the guards were any kinder than that strange man.

At last Corvo returned and let them go and board their only remaining ship. As the last of the pirates boarded their own ship and the drawbridge retracted he heard the captain yell out to them, "How the hell are we supposed to leave? We don't have no engine or any dam sails!"

Corvo quickly replied "Oh you won't be going far. Consider yourself lucky."

The captain had a puzzled look on his face and raced below deck to see what he meant, which trigged a loud boom a minute later and the last pirate ship started to sink.

Corvo jerry rigged the pirate's ship's hull to explode when the captain opened his door. The source of the explosion was well hidden behind a bunch of barrels and consisted of a lot of gun powder and a grenade tied to a string which was attached to the captain's door.

Corvo really hated pirates.

…

The next few hours were spent making the ship remain stationary as the crew surveyed the damage caused by the pirates.

The Captain conducted the survey while Corvo, who removed his mask, was talking with Emily out on the deck.

Emily had once asked her protector to train her, so that she may protect herself if he failed to protect her, and Corvo saw that this was true, and she needed to protect herself through combat, not just politics. Which Corvo promised that he would train her when she had a free time.

It was a white umbrella, but inside it was a fencing sword, which Emily loved using and carrying now.

Emily asked, "Doesn't something seem kind of strange to you Corvo?" This question caught him off guard.

"What do you mean Emily?" Corvo asked

"Well, I didn't see any bodies in the water when we were attacked by the pirates." Emily said confusingly

Corvo shrugged and said, "They either drowned or the ocean's current carried them away."

Emily still looked worried and looked over the water, wondering to herself what happened to them.

Corvo didn't want to make her feel uneasy and said. "I'll make you a deal. If I see any survivors or anything out for the ordinary, I'll go take a look, alright?"

Emily looked to Corvo with a comforting smile and said, "Alright. Thanks for listening."

Corvo waved it off and said, "It's my duty to."

And at that Corvo left to find the captain, who was in his cabin looking at the list that was created.

He was muttering to himself about any losses that have occurred, "…men, pylon's…" and some other things that Corvo didn't even know existed, let alone had names for.

"Greg, fill me in on damages and losses that have occurred." Corvo was firm but polite when asking this question to the Captain.

Greg, the Captain, said jokingly, "Nice to see ya to. Anyways, based on what we got, we lost about ten men, three guards, and seven sailors. They're in the brig awaiting burial back at home. I've already sent letters via pigeons to the families, lucky enough we are close enough for the pigeons to arrive. If we were another day away they would never survive the flight." Greg then points to near the end of the deck and says, "See that railing over there?"

Corvo nodded

Greg explained, "Well, it turns out that our investments in reinforced steel weren't enough to cover the entire hull. The railing contains some of the gunpowder to fire our cannons. We're lucky we didn't blow up from the attack yet. We have to fix it with the materials we got from the other ship. Along that, they damaged the engines and ruined some of the deck."

Corvo groaned as he squeezed the area between his eyebrows in frustration. Greg than rushed, "No! No, it's not as damaged as you think. We can get them running either later tonight or in the morning. For now, we will just use out sails."

Corvo could not stop counting his blessings on his good fortune he prayed for. It's a good thing that they planned on arriving early to Arendelle, or they would have been late.

The captain continued as he rolled up the paper and placed it in his breast pocket, "As of now, we will set sail and start repairs. I'll have the sailors clean up the mess that was made."

…

When nightfall struck, there was a huge feast to celebrate their victory, although everyone agreed that it should be rationed so that they don't waste their food too quickly. Than they began preparing the burials so that when they reach Arendelle, they would send the ship back with the dead to their families. Corvo left a prayer to the Outsider to guide them through the Void and find peace.

After the events were over and only the guards were out patrolling the deck, Corvo retired to his room. Even though after all the events that have happened, he recollected how alive he felt in the heat of battle, and wanted to fight more. He couldn't help but wonder if he was too extreme with pirates. He put it out of his mind; they were scum. No more, no less. He couldn't peacefully disarm the situation and if he let them live they would have caused even more destruction. It was the right thing to do. His thoughts then wondered to the words that Emily said, that there are no more bodies.

Corvo pondered on this, and thought that either they sank, drifted away, or by the tales that were told, eaten by monsters.

He had to laugh at that last part.

Corvo's looked around. His room was under the water with a circular glass window about a two foot radius on the floor. The window was for looks and at first it creped him out, seeing only the blue darkness of the ocean. He didn't like the thought of having so much water pressure being held back by glass. Once he was convinced that it was heavily reinforced and safe he slowly grew to like it.

As he changed into a shirt and soft cotton pants, he thought he saw a glimmer of light from the corner of his eye come from outside the window. But it disappeared as quickly as he saw it. He thought that he was just imagining it and put it to the back of his mind. After all it was an action packed day.

As Corvo lay down on his bed, he prayed that the letter that they wrote would be good enough for Arendelle. He knew that they still were about five days away from the kingdom, and he hoped that his good fortune would continue, or Dunwall will have another enemy to face.

…

A/N: Cliff hanger's authors love them, readers hate them.

I know that some of you may be wondering why Corvo is so ruthless even when it's obvious I chose the good ending in Dishonored. Well it's simple really, you can kill in Dishonored and get the good ending, the city watch guards are still the 'good guys' but there leaders are scum like pirates. That is what I was going for sorry if I confused anyone.

I would like to thank Master T Rex again for the new ideas, and improved structure. At this point I think it is only fair that this should be considered a collaborative fan fic (I make the base chapter and he cleans it up and adds other perspectives to it, which I either say yes or no to, and he also makes the words flow better). He deserves just as much support as I do.

As always please read and review.


	4. Chapter 4: Hunted

**AN: I would like to thank everyone for the follows, favorites and reviews. **

**This chapter and the next were both written at the same time but I feel like they deserve their own separate chapters.**

**Special thanks to Delta Death for the great review, it really gave me some ideas. **

**Chapter 4: Hunted **

…

Corvo was used to having weird dreams, but he was always taken aback by the many creepy scenes he usually sees.

As Corvo slept, his dream was that of being submerged under the sea. He was at the bottom of the sea floor, and he could barely see, for he saw nothing. There was nothing but pure darkness that surrounded and clouded his vision, but he heard a faint song.

Corvo's fits thought went to another story he heard from sailors. He heard a story of Siren's that lived in the oceans as well, singing songs and melodies to lure men to their deaths when at sea.

But knowing that he is no normal man, he swam through waters towards the source of the melody, and then he noticed that he would have to enter a thicket of planet life. He pushed seaweed out of his way to move forward, and as he did, the melody of the song started to intensify in volume, growing louder as he got closer.

He also noticed that he wasn't breathing, nor was he holding his breath, which caught him off guard, finding why he's here made him more cautious.

Strangely enough, the melody he was hearing was similar to that of a rune or bone charm, but there was something different about this melody, he just couldn't place his finger on what it was. How long he spent swimming through the blue darkness, passing through seaweed, he wasn't sure. As he got closer, it came to a point where he saw a flash of blue light off in the distance. The light cast shadows off the green plant life around him as it appears on and off at sporadic intervals, like the irregular beating of a heart. The seaweed in front of Corvo turned bright green every time the strange light appeared.

Corvo knew that he was getting closer to the source of this light. Just as Corvo was about to push past the last of the seaweed blocking the source of the strange light, gravity forced him down onto the stone floor.

His clothes weren't wet, and he wasn't cold nor was he hot. He just felt empty, and that immediately led him to knowing for sure that he was once again returned into the Void. This time he was pissed off, so close to discovering what that light was yet he was so far away.

As Corvo walked the uneven and random path, which would undoubtedly lead him to the Outsider, images appeared around him on his path, frozen in time. He saw a moment in Corvo's life where he saw the pirates that attacked them early that day, frozen in their attack on the S.S. Outsider. He took in every image of this event as he kept walking, on his left there were the model pirate ships that were half blown to pieces by the S.S. Outsider model.

'So, the Outsider is a ship collector now?' Corvo thought.

He saw himself up in the crow's nest staring down at the pirates as two arc grenades were about to hit the fire.

On the right side there was a painting, but all it appeared to be was a glowing red eye that stared at him with pure hatred. It was a strange painting to have, but this unnerved Corvo, knowing that he never saw anything like this before and it was certainly different from anything else he could possibly compare it to. He knew the Outsider wanted a word with him, so he moved from the painting and kept walking on the path. As he approached what look like a shrine, like the others before that were made for the Outsider, Corvo saw another frozen moment. This time he saw the pirate captain with a look of panic in his eyes as he swung his door open.

Corvo pressed on, knowing that the past is in the past and that no matter what he could do, it wouldn't change the outcome of the story. He tried to always look for the most peaceful way, but pirates were different. If he couldn't spare them and send them to prison than sinking their ship and send those howling to the void was the best thing for them. Taking them hostage in the brig would be a waste of resources and would most likely lead to a revolt, enduring everyone, including Emily, on the S.S. Outsider.

Corvo was drawn out of his thoughts as he fell off the void. He was a fool to not pay attention to where he was stepping. Not one of his finer moments when walking into the void, and this isn't the first time it happened, but he knew that falling into the abyss of the void isn't fatal so paying attention wasn't that important. When Corvo reappeared, he continued walking along the path. After a minute or so he arrived at a shrine. Dark smoke appeared over him and the Outsider revealed himself.

Right away, Corvo noticed something odd with the way the Outsider was looking at him, and it led to one thought: Curiosity. Corvo knew that whenever the Outsider was curious, it would lead to something bad in the future.

The Outsider smirked and said in an amused tone, "Ah, Corvo, my old friend. Did you enjoy your trip down memory lane? I hope that you learned to watch your step next time."

Corvo's face slightly turned red.

The Outsider then returned to his curious look and said with much pride. "How does it feel to still be a professional killer? Even after 7 years since you retook the kingdom, you are still the most feared man in all of Gristol. Those poor pirates never stood a chance against someone of your caliber."

He then asked, wanting to know something, "Did you change? You used to be skilled in the art of stealth, sneaking past every guard undetected, knocking them out only when you had to. It even amazes me when you chose to go as far as to keep most of your targets alive, the very same people who ordered Jessamine's death."

Keeping these actions in mind, he transitioned, "But when a group of lowlife pirates attack your ship, you slaughter them all like pigs in a meat locker."

He crossed his arms and raised a brow as he said, "Are you really the killer that is waiting for an excuse to wreak havoc upon those who harm you or did you think that it was the only way to stop them?"

The Outsider leaned forward and said amusingly, "I know that you are telling yourself lies about how there was no other way. You aren't used to telling yourself lies, so it won't work, it never did."

This felt like taking a punch in the gut. He wasn't really sure what he did was right. Did he want to kill them in the name of murder or was it simply the instinct to protect?

The Outsider returned to his normal posture and was expressionless as he said, "That being said, the real reason I called you here is much more important than the murders that you have committed. Surely you must have felt that something isn't right before you entered the Void, so the only thing I know is that after today you either continue on your voyage to Arendelle or Dunwall falls." Corvo took this in as the Outsider saying, 'If not careful, you and everyone else will die and Dunwall will go into a panic and possibly a civil war,' the Outsider gave a short pause then resumed, "Be careful Corvo, the next day will determine the fate of Dunwall. As from one friend to another, my advice to you is to be fully armed and have you mask at hand."

The Outsider then broke his expressionless face with a smile, one that Corvo took as disturbing, and said, "As I would tell you, there are only eight people in the world that bare my mark. One of the eight lies in Arendelle with a power that shows both beauty and fear. Should you make it to Arendelle, I urge you to find her and speak with her; however, this would prove difficult for she is not literally banded with my mark. Such a reason was because I gave her the power right before she was born, and so I have paid much interest in how she uses my power today. When you meet her, I will be watching the both of you with great interest; for what comes next will be quite interesting."

Corvo was taken aback by what he said, he then felt the need to speak, and said, "Who is 'she'? Who are you talking about?"

The Outsider had a disappointed look at what Corvo asked and said, "That's for me to know… and for you to find out. After all… you're good at finding the truth."

Suddenly, he was falling again.

…

"HUH!" Corvo gasped as he shot upright in his bed, for the sudden scare in his dream had woken him up. Corvo looked to the wooden flapped window to see the sun low, right before the sunset. From the feeling of tiredness in his eyes and the tightness in his diaphragm, he must have woken up early.

At that Corvo got up from the warmth of his bed and dressed, still remembering what the Outsider said to him, to 'be fully armed.' He learned first-hand that it was not wise to disregard what the Outsider says. As soon as Corvo made sure he was fully loaded and couldn't possibly carry any more ammunition, he peered out into the deep sea. As he was looking at the silent beauty of the deep blue darkness, he noticed the same eye in the picture that he saw earlier. It was far down, at least 100 meters, but Corvo never forgets a face or object when he sees it. It disappeared in a heartbeat, but he knew it was there and that he wasn't crazy.

'Maybe those sailors weren't crazy either.' Corvo thought

Then he looked around where he last saw it and he noticed that there was a clearing on the sea floor, surrounded by seaweed, signaling that they are near a reef. He had a sinking suspicion that this was the very same place that he had his dream.

Corvo knew something was going to happen and all the conclusions that he dreamed up involved bloodshed. It disturbingly made sense. As he ran out of his room and halfway across the hall he remembered that he forgot to bring his mask with him. He cursed himself silently under his breath, blinking back to his room where he quickly placed the mask into one of his many pockets. As he opened the door onto the deck he noticed that his note of being morning was correct, but the sky was still quite dark. The sun was hidden behind a thick curtain of clouds, it made the world seem so dull and grey.

He heard the sound of a splash off to his right he wasn't sure what he was expecting but to his relief it was just your average fishing vessel, dropping the nets into the water. They were near by about two hundred meters away.

What surprised him immensely was that its flag belong to that of Arendelle. Based on what he could tell, they must be closer to land than he thought; usually this kind of vessel doesn't travel too far out from land. He concluded that they were past the halfway point, maybe a day or two away from land, and as soon as the engines would come alive, they would make it in no time.

This reminded him that in a day or two they need to send a pigeon off to Arendelle with the letter that they had wrote the day before, so that they may prepare for their arrival.

Corvo shook his head and whispered to himself, "Snap out of it man, there won't be any pigeons if we don't survive the day."

He focused his mind during the brief walk across the deck, he wasn't sure how he should tell the Phil (the Captain) what he saw. If he just started rambling there would be a good chance that he would be told to go back to sleep. After an inner debate he decided on being firm, taking it slow and stressing the urgency and dire consequences of the situation.

It was perfect. Nothing could go wrong.

He smiled as he thought how things will go from this. Probably with Phil and Greg calling all guards on deck and giving a speech to pump this up and warn them on what was to come.

All he had to do now was just execute his plan. Corvo reached the navigation room's door, paused, and with a deep breath, knocked.

After a few moments with no sound being heard from the room, he decided to peak through the key hole. Corvo had many ways (including the old habit) to spy on his enemies, and this was one of them. It was strange, usually Phil was always awake, planning out the course and sailing the seven seas. Well, what appeared to be before him was quite strange indeed. It appeared to be that the captain seemed to be sleeping on what appeared to be a table using a bowl of fruit as a pillow.

This was something Corvo definitely didn't plan on seeing, but considering how they were still docked and not actually sailing he should have expected it.

Now Corvo could have easily shaken him awake but what fun would that be?

He silently opened the door, entered, and closed it behind him and moved towards the sleeping man, he started to devise some plans in his head but whispers of the dreams that Phil was having dragged him out of it. Most of his whispers had things to do with having one more minute, cats, and for some strange reasons a crying weeper.

As strange as that last one sounded, it was the one that caught Corvo the most off guard. He stopped when the captain said "Go away old man, I don't want your cookies."

Corvo wasn't sure where that came from but sometimes it's best not to ask.

After several moments of awkward and fairly comedic statements pasts the man's lips, Corvo decided to wake the man up. Just as he was about to shake him awake, Phil said in a louder mumble, "Screw the rules I have green hair…"

If this kept going on, Corvo would wake the man up with his laughter. Corvo attempted to wake Phil by putting a closed fist close to his mouth and coughed.

"Ahem."

Nothing happened. Corvo tried again, a little louder this time.

"Ahem."

Nothing happened again.

Then out of the blue, the captain shot up and shouted, "NO MORE!"

Phil looked up so fast that Corvo figured he must have gotten whiplash.

"Corvo? Why the hell are you even here?! It's like five in the morning." He was pissed and proceeded to massage his neck.

"I just wanted to talk." Corvo said in a necessary tone.

Phil gave him a death stare, so bad that it could kill rats.

Corvo exhaled frustratingly and informed "The real reason I wanted to talk to you is that I have urgent information that we must discuss."

The captain mumbled back to him, "Latter man, I'm going back to bed." And at that, he let his head rest against the table.

Corvo just stared at him for a little bit, which seemed to do the trick.

The captain frustratingly got up and said, "Fine. I'll bite. What information do you have for me?"

Corvo than realized that what he would say made him sound crazy, but he just put it out there, "I believe that we are being hunted right now."

Miraculously, that seemed to do the trick.

"Well why didn't you say something earlier!? I'll sound the alarm, the sooner we deal with these pirates the sooner I go back to bed." The captain said as he was getting up and going to the door.

"Table." Corvo corrected

"Shut it." The captain said back as he grasped the handle

Corvo than grabbed his shoulder, stopping him from moving. The captain felt the strength in his hand was enough to stop his blood from flowing in his arm, and froze where he stood. Corvo than corrected, "Before you jump to conclusions, we aren't being hunted by pirates."

The captain gave him a puzzled look and said, "Then what are we-"

"I believe that the sea stories are true. There is something lurking in the water, watching us as we speak." Corvo said

"I don't believe you woke me up for this nonsense." The captain said, displeased by what Corvo is saying

"This is no story; I have a feeling that the pirates are going to be nothing compared to this beast that will attack. We have to be on the defen-"

"Are you even listening to yourself right now?" The captain cut in and then sighed and said, "I've been sailing the ocean for forty years and never seen a sea creature. If I was to compare someone to a sea creature, it would be my brother, and my sis ain't much better either."

"I have seen it!" Corvo said, "And everyone on this ship is going to die we don't prepare NOW!"

As they argued, their arguing slowly died as the pitter patter of rain started to build up, until it started to come down really heavy in a down pour...

The ship wouldn't sink or capsize, the crew knew that well enough due to the ships drainage system and sheer size, but if the leviathan decided to strike it would definitely have the home field advantage.

Before they could continue arguing, they heard an enormous crash and screams throughout the storm.

The two men ran out onto the deck to see what the commotion was, but as he was heading outside, he pulled on his strapped hood and his mask, fearing the worst. It was hard to see what had happened through the lack of light and heavy rain. But from they were able to make out it appeared to be that the fishing ship was nothing more than singed pieces of wood and torn sails. Men littered the wreck; only half of them were moving, showing that they are still alive. Some of them were screaming for their lives but were silenced by the power of the waves, which had them choking and led to drowning. Waves would overtake the men and the undercurrent had a strong hold on them, not letting them breathe air.

The sailors that could best the currant and waves were doing their best to swim to the S.S. Outsider, but one after another were being sucked under the water.

As Phil and Corvo acted immediately, ordering the guards to help. They ran out onto the deck to see the commotion. Corvo heard Phil yelling to put the ladder and any ropes down so the sailors could climb up, if any of them would be lucky enough to make it.

Unfortunately none of the sailors were able to make it aboard, none of them even got close. There were a few guards leaning over the railing yelling at the fishermen to swim harder. Once there were no more sailors, all but one of the guards pulled themselves off the railing. Unfortunately, for him his life would be cut short.

A leviathan of terrible size gracefully jumped out of the water, biting the man's torso and ripping his waist off as it fell back into the water.

It happened so fast that all Corvo saw through the thick rain was a flash of blue and a streak of bright red. Corvo began to realize that the threat was much quicker and worse than he thought. Everyone was in danger as he took in the sight of what once was a royal guard of Arendelle.

All that was left of the man was his lower body, his intestines unraveling out of his open half, along with any other organs that remained attached. His waist had jagged bite marks that dug deep into his body. His spinal cord also seemed to be missing. Corvo guessed the leviathan tore it out of him to. It was truly a disgusting sight, blood and guts were scattered everywhere.

Then chaos erupted, the war horn sounded and he heard the Captain of the guards, Greg, yelling commands, getting the crew and the guards to get in action.

As the royal protector Corvo's duty was to first secure the safety of Emily. As he ran to her room and knocked on her door, a groggy voice responded, "Ah, it's too early for this… who is it?"

"It's Corvo," he said urgently, "can I come in?"

The door was quickly opened to his response. Emily was wearing their thickly clothed nightgown that reached to her knees, but Corvo seemed to realize that something was wrong after seeing the anxious and distraught expression on Emily's face and asked, "What's going on? I heard a roar, but I've never heard it before."

Corvo shook his head and said quickly, "I haven't heard it before either, and it is something that we have never seen before."

Emily looked flabbergasted and said, "What is it that made that roar?"

Corvo said to Emily, "Whatever it is, it's huge and destroyed a fishing ship nearby. I need you to stay safe, so stay down here, and if I see Piero I'll send him here, but for now don't go outside until I tell you to."

Suddenly, the realization that Emily was asleep during the fishing boat incident made him learn that she was a deep sleeper.

"Be careful Corvo." Emily replied with much worry

Corvo smiled and held his left hand up, his mark glowing with power and said, "I'm the one who should be worried about you. I'll be fine." Emily quickly afterwards closed the door and locked it.

As Corvo ran back to the deck where a battle was most likely taking place, he put on his mask. Corvo had a feeling in his gut that this time, instead of being the hunter, he was the prey. It was not a feeling that he liked, but it was no different than the time he was betrayed… twice.

When he ran out onto the deck he noticed one thing that there weren't any signs of a battle yet. Guards were patrolling the deck, the cannons were manned and the crow's nest occupied, searching for what the crew heard was a true sea monster. The sails were being put down due to the monster and that the storm's winds were really starting to pick up, and since they wanted to stay on the move, the engines were fully operational and moving as fast as it could through the dangerous waters.

Then the monster made its strike.

The entire ship started to ship appeared to be shaking. Ever eight or so seconds a massive crashing sound was happening below deck which rocked the boat. Corvo held onto the railing of the ship as this went on. The beast was trying to smash the ship the same it did to the fishing vessel. It was smart, no need to risk injuries or death if it could. However, Corvo doubted that it was making any decent progresses. The reinforced steel was tougher, thanks to the pirate's resources, but he didn't want to test it, especially against a creature such as this one. He had to come up with something fast, or they wouldn't live to return to Gristol. None of their pistols, cannons, arc pylons even grenades would be able to reach the beast, they needed to improvise.

The shaking got worse, still that's all it was, he doubted that this man-of-war would capsize, but a leak was always possible, and that would lead to an opening for a hull breach. The shaking got so bad that it felt like mini explosions going off under the deck.

That's when it hit Corvo.

They needed explosives.

The whale oil tanks, more flammable than a 10th of all their powder kegs combined, would be their savior. All they had to do was gather a bunch of tanks; prime them, drop them, and then watch the fireworks.

Corvo shouted over the chaos to the soldiers, "Whale Oil!" All the guards that was on deck looked to Corvo as he barked orders, "I need Whale Oil on deck now! Send as many crew as you can to carry it up! Grab the fishing nets and prime the oil! The beast is attacking again soon so hurry or it will be death for us all!"

Guards were running all over the deck to grab the tanks and some even went below to get the crew. From the deck, it opened to reveal the crew pulling up a fishing net which were loaded with more and more whale oil. The guards on deck used a pulley system on the mast to raise the net to the deck. It took a few minutes for the soldiers to gather the separate barrels with matches around the outside railing of the deck, looking over the water.

They waited as Corvo looked over, seeing where the creature was coming from.

Suddenly, one of the guards shouted, saying that they saw a big shape under water.

"THROW THEM NOW!" Corvo commanded

Twenty tanks were all thrown into the ocean, and they waited for the explosions. A moment of silence felt like an eternity in silence for the crew. Just as Corvo started to fear that they wouldn't go, a deafening sound came from the water. The water exploded five feet up turning white with streaks of red.

A few seconds past by in silence than the crew started to scream and cheer for their victory.

Please give a review, I like all the suggestions that are given they really help make this story better.

**Special thanks to Master T-Rex for the upgrades that he provided.**


	5. Chapter 5: Dance of Death

**AN: **

**Again special thanks to Master T-Rex for all the great help with this story, please check his stuff out. (My personal favourite is Time Heals All Wounds)**

Btw, the sea shanty that is sang later on is 'Rio Grande' in Assassins Creed 4, it's the old version (the one that is 2 minutes and 44 seconds long by Gbiese)

Now Before you start reading I recommend that you type into your search bar,

'Monster hunter wiki Lagiacrus' This will help you get an image for what the creature looks like. If you wish to go further I recommend watching Capcom Unity's 'meet the monsters Lagiacrus'

I would give links but this site renders them useless.

**Chapter 5: Dance of Death (FYI Iron Maiden album)**

Corvo didn't celebrate yet. He saw the streaks of red, meaning that there was a hit and they may have killed it, but no remains of the creature came to the surface, unless the undercurrent had a hold of it, but that was unlikely.

Corvo cursed himself under his breath, seeing that his good fortune has run out and the creature is still alive.

A roar broke through the ship; it was so loud it felt like the entire ocean was roaring at them. It made everyone drop their weapons and cover their ears. Corvo's mask blocked some of the sound, and his bone charms aided him against the sound and he recovered much quicker than the others. Just as the others recovered, the leviathan majestically jumped head first out of the water onto the crowded ship, and then it began to climb onto the deck, its huge mass squished a few of the crew members in the process.

The creature Corvo saw before him was almost detailed exactly as the sailors had described it. It's a long thin leviathan, its underbody was white and its head, back, limbs, and tail was blue with dark blue spikes around its back and head. It had a hood-like crest on its neck and blue snake rock-like scales on its body. What was one thing he recognized were the red eyes that looked back at him.

It hissed than gave another loud roar as it moved its' head up, this made about half the crew drop their weapons and covering their ears again. The others were wise to keep their distance but remain on deck, fighting against the sound and tried to help their comrades when it died down.

Corvo knew this was going to end badly. Even if they did somehow manage to kill it or at least ward it off, there would be a good chance that there wouldn't have enough sailors to reach their destination, nor enough guards to protect the ship from future attacks.

He quickly let this thoughts go to the Arc Pylon. If he could reach it, he could save as many as he could.

As Corvo made his way across the ship towards the arc pylon, blinking over the masts to avoid direct confrontation with the creature. Corvo saw with dread that the leviathan wobbled towards the mass of soldiers and into them, trampling all in its path. The guards made the crew go below deck to remain safe until the creature is either dead or goes away.

The beast curved its body into a circle with its head in the middle, deflecting most of the bullets with its back. When the sound of gun fire ceased, it turned around and made its way towards the group, forcing the soldiers to use their swords and back off. The mass of the soldiers all broke up into groups of five or so, spreading around the creature. This was also futile for them as well, for its head and body was too fast as it dogged and weaved, snapping at the soldiers whenever it could. Even when they did make direct contact with its body, the scales were too hard and their swords just bounced off with so much force that it flew out of their hands.

In that short moment of battle, Corvo arrived at his destination. He was pleased to see that this time; it was already primed with whale oil (or what they had left). He looked back to see the battle.

It looked very lopsided, the guards were trying to stay out of the beast's range, but it was too fast for them. There were a mass of soldiers on the opposite side of the ship. The brave or stupid ones tried to surround it and they managed to do that. However it made no difference.

Only one soldier was left from one of the groups it devastated and as it hovered over him, Corvo flipped the switch to kill it.

Corvo immediately learned to his horror that it seemed to be ineffective. At a closer look, it was set to sleep since its last use. His doubts of harming the beast with a weak stun pulse were right, but to his dismay the creature looked like it was absorbing the shock. It made no sense; all those volts running through a creature at once would surely be enough to fry it. Just as Corvo switched it to the kill setting, he realized again that he used up all the whale oil available to operate the arc pylon.

If only he paid attention to the setting of the damn machine would everyone be saved.

Seeing the machine now useless, he looked back to the deck to see how the guards were fairing.

The battle wasn't going well as he had hoped. The soldiers were being torn apart. If this continued for another minute or two, there wouldn't be anyone left. Even if the beast was dealt with, the losses and continued damage of the ship would leave them either dead or defenseless.

Corvo didn't know any other choice, and chose the most stupid one he could possibly come up with.

"Retreat! Retreat! Get off the deck and stay safe!" Corvo yelled over the loud howling winds, as well as through the constant pellets of rain pouring and the screams from those wounded. At least most of the soldiers got the message and some ran for dear life and tried to take the wounded with them. The rest that didn't hear perished. Bodies ripped apart, head squished, tail-whipped to pieces, limbs being eaten, and other gruesome details.

Then only two living beings were left on the deck.

One was a human.

The other was a creature.

And fate has played its part by letting two beasts fight against one another. In retrospect, the odds weren't in Corvo's favor, but he has void magic, a crossbow, a blade, and knowledge on how to kill, somehow he felt like the beast knew how to kill also but he needed more points.

For a few seconds, nothing happened.

They were in a stair down as Corvo pulled out his blade and slowly walked down the steps onto the deck to face the beast, the rain masking his steps. The monster looked into the lifelessness of Corvo's mask and Corvo in turn looked in the red eyes of the beast.

From what Corvo was able to tell during their 'stare' was that the beast's back and sides were protected in rock hard scales, while only its underbelly looked fairly soft. In fact, from what he could tell, its two front horns were cracked, the underbelly torn up, and two of its side claws smashed, slowly oozing out blood onto the deck.

Corvo figured that the wounds it sustained means that it was in pain.

Caught off guard, the beast made the first move. Instead of a roar or a body slam or some sort of physical attack, it fell back on its stubby hind legs and moved its head up in the air and spat out a giant ball of electricity. Corvo was wide eyed, surprised by what the creature was doing, but was able to double jump over the ball thanks to his precious void magic.

"Perfect… not only can it shred me to pieces it can also fry me." Corvo muttered

Seeing that Corvo had no other options, he didn't hesitate on attacking. However, he knew that he didn't have the power or size to attack directly, so he had to react to the creatures' advances if he is to get a hit.

Dodging and weaving closer to the creature every time it attacked made it was the most rhythmical battle that he ever fought. Corvo would even dare say that it was similar to dancing.

Corvo's dodges were made up with jumps and blinks; he went as far as using the wet wood and slippery water to help him glide out of danger. It attempted a slam Corvo, and when Corvo dodged it he would strike any of his broken or wounded spots to cause it more pain. It got to the point where it was in so much pain that it backed off and waved its body everywhere to make it stop. When this happened, Corvo would attempt to plunge his sword in a chink of its scales. Since the beast recovers quickly, he could only get a slash or two in before he had to go on the defense again.

It was terrifying that he was literally in combat with a beast from the sea, and yet he got a rush from facing such a powerful opponent. Every roll, every dodge, every jump, every slash had to be perfectly executed. Luckily for him, he had some other powers to help him with this as well.

The beast than lunged at him head first, and Corvo had to jump off to his right side. Due to the pain, the leviathan was in it was too slow for it to recover, and this was the moment Corvo was waiting for. With a flick of his hilt, he plunged his sword into its angry red eye. It was only in for a brief second but it still did its job.

Then Corvo was thrown back as the beast emitted an electrical barrier. His back made contact with the front of the ship against a metal wall.

Corvo looked back past his smoked clothes to see the creature weaving around; looking for Corvo with its one eye.

The beast was fully enraged, quite frankly Corvo couldn't blame him, and he would have been pretty pissed off if someone stabbed him in the eye.

As it proceeded to trample around the deck, knocking cannons over, and trying to spot the man that had did this to him.

Immediately, Corvo had another reckless idea.

"HEY!" Corvo shouted, immediately making the creature pause and immediately founded him with its good eye.

The monster curled up into a semi-circle, preparing to body slam him. Nothing would stop it from striking Corvo. Just as it released all the tension from its coiled body, it 'flew' towards Corvo. Corvo quickly blinked across the deck behind the beast. It ended up crashing into the wall and it appeared to be stuck.

Corvo didn't know how long it was going to be stuck for so he wasted no time unloading on the beast. He pulled a handful of pins from all his different grenades, and threw them at the beast. Using both of his hands, he grabbed his pistol with his right and his crossbow with his left. He emptied all of his ammo, starting with explosive and incendiary, not bothering with sleep. Once he ran out of those he started firing regular ammo his hands flying to reload. It appeared that he had done a lot of damage to the under belly of the beast. Corvo then backed off and threw all of his razor mines on the floor, which upon contact with the floor was embedded in the wood.

Just as he put away his weapons away, the beast exploded from the wall, ripping some of the metal out with it. In pure blind rage, it attempted to reach the man, but stopped short as it felt its gut get sliced up by the sharp bolts from the mines.

The beast keeled over to its side and it cried out in pain with another roar.

Corvo used blink to try and finish the fight before it could get back up, unfortunately for him the beast fried him with an electric barrier.

"Clever girl." He muttered as drank a health potion, his clothes once again smoking from the attack.

Corvo thought to himself that it was time to end this little dance.

The beast was much slower and sloppier than before; but before Corvo could do anything, it jumped off the side of the ship into the water.

Corvo ran to where the beast disappeared off to and looked over the blank ocean, waiting for the beast to strike again, but it didn't return after he waited a few minutes.

Confused, Corvo thought one of two things that would have happened. The first one was that the creature has ran off, which is very unlikely. The other one that seemed more likely would be that it was waiting him out, healing its wounds and preparing to strike.

…

The sea rejuvenated the Lagiacrus; it was back in its home. That demon man would pay for his actions, all it wanted was a tasty treat, was that too much to ask for? When the Lagiacrus first found this ship, it thought its fortune would surely be turning around, but it was wrong.

After that lazy Rathalos (fire breathing dragon) stole his nice meager Ludorth (small sea creature) meal, it was pissed off. Than a ship happens to pass by a day later as it waited in the thick seaweed near a nearby reef. All it took was another day without food until he was fed with pirates.

Or what was left of them.

The next day came a fishing ship, which was a stroke of luck, but its next ship was a personal nightmare.

It was horrible; first it nearly concussed itself after body slamming the hull so many times, than explosions, and now this? It even lost an eye! That man had powers like none other, one second that demon was there the other it was gone. It thought that he had a break when that man was sitting against the wall but no, why should he? Wouldn't it be so much more fun being stuck in a metal wall instead? No. Well how about being mutilated while in the wall? What, still not enough? Now it was sliced up by some weird machines on the floor.

It was now more determined to make them all pay and get its tasty treats; it just needed some time to recover. No more running, no surrender.

…

There was only one thing left that Corvo could do and that was wait, he knew that it would be back soon, it was a gut feeling and his gut was never wrong. He went to check on the guards and crew, all having to be in their horrible conditions that they were in since their battle, but Corvo informed them to wait here until he retrieves them.

After several minutes of silence, waiting on one of the masts overlooking the empty and wrecked deck, he heard the water erupt on his left and the beast launched out of the water attempting to ram him, but paused as it didn't see him on the deck.

Corvo thought to himself that since leviathans were such predators, they were never prey, so they never looked up.

The beast was still stunned and groggy from their earlier dance, and now it returned for their finishing encore. This was Corvo's chance to strike, so he froze time and blinked onto the back of the beast's neck. Corvo grabbed the handle of his blade and plunged it deep into its other eye as his void spell unfroze time. He held on as the beast shook around, trying to get rid of Corvo.

Corvo held on and pushed the blade, making the blade go all the way through the eye and into its brain. Corvo jumped off the beast as it gave one last roar and crashed onto the ship, leaving his blade in its head.

Corvo got up from his fall and walked towards the dead beast to grab his blade. The handle was sticking out of the head and was logged in its pupil. After a few minutes of tugging and cursing, he was able to pry free the slippery blade from its eye.

All the adrenaline left Corvo by this time and all he wanted to do now was rest, but he now has a damaged ship, more wounded and dead sailors and guards, and a giant dead monster on the deck. He decided that he would command the crew while they would attempt to roughly tie the beast down and find a way to get rid of it in some way. He was worried that if he left for a few minutes that the creature would slide off the edge of the ship. After going down below the deck, he informed the crew that everything is safe and that he needed any crew that is able to tie the creature down. At that Corvo saw them grab some rope from a nearby pile and proceed to tie the main body of the beast down.

At that, the captain took his place and dismissed him. He went down to his room and switched into something comfortable, and then took a small nap. Once he woke up, he saw that the rain has stopped but night was coming, revealing that they were a day or two away from Arendelle, so he got up and left his room, but kept his blade with him. He then he made his way to Emilie's cabin.

He straightened himself and knocked.

"Come in." Emily called.

As he opened the door, Corvo saw Emily petting one of the messenger pigeons that were caged next to her room. She turned to see Corvo, alright and uninjured. Emily placed the pigeon in its cage, ran to Corvo and hugged him, exclaiming, "Corvo! You're alive! What happened?"

Corvo returned the loving embrace and said, "Why do you sound so surprised?"

Once their hug was over, Emily smiled her warm smile and said, "Well from what I heard from the captain, he exaggerated that you single-handedly defeated the sea monster. It sounded very tough.

Corvo smirked, remembering that the captain didn't believe his warning in the first place and said, "You don't say? I doubt the rest of the crew told you that the thing had control over electricity, because it did."

Her eyes opened wide and said with complete surprise, "You killed a giant sea serpent that could breathe electricity? Damn!"

Corvo raised a brow at her remark, but he realized that Emily is getting older, so it would be normal to hear some vulgar words every once in a while, so he brushed it off while Emily continued, "Oh I wish I could at least have seen the thing you killed."

Corvo suggested, "You can, but the crew did something with it. Piero went to look at it to see if he can make me some gear or upgrade my gear with some of the beast's parts."

Emily giggled a little and said, "Sounds like a great idea."

"Yeah well I'm hungry. I'll head down for a bite to eat and then I'm off." Corvo said

Emily sighed and said, "Me too. But first, since were nearing in on Arendelle, I planned on letting one of our pigeons carry our proposal to one of the royals. I hope that all goes well with this. I really would like the Empire to have allies right now."

Corvo smiled and said, "We are a small and powerful kingdom who has technology that is ahead of everybody else and you have loyal guards and a powerful Royal Protector. I bet neither royal has the ability to harm a fly, let alone have a guard to do that for them. I bet they run in fear the moment they see a bug or magic that entertains children."

Emily couldn't stop laughing at his comment and said, "I really doubt that, but we'll just have to wait and see."

Corvo bid her goodnight and she in turn said the same before closing the door.

Corvo went below deck to the dining area, and saw the sailors and guards eating food. They paused as Corvo was seen and they all cheered for him, carrying him suddenly off his feet and over his shoulders.

When they stopped and settled him down, a sailor by the name of Jack said out loud, "How about we sing an ole' sea shanty for our savior over here?"

Every sailor cheered.

Jack stood on top of a table and said in a deep voice, "Oh say were you ever in Rio Grande?"

"Oooooooooh, you rao!" the others shouted

Jack sang, "It's there that the river rains down golden sand-"

"And we're bound for the Rio Grande! Then away, row away…" they sang

And then they resumed, "Oooooooooh, you rao! Sing fair and farewell, my pretty young girl, and we're bound for the Rio Grande."

And they continued to sing the sea shanty until the very end, and when it ended, everybody cheered for Corvo, which Corvo himself cheered towards everyone's performance.

After he ate (and found out that the meat they were eating was from the leviathan), he visited the guards and paid his respects to their fallen comrades. He then traveled to his room and decided to rest for the night.

…

Emily was in her room, petting her pigeon. She began to learn about messenger birds when she needed to send letters to her advisors from her room to their homes. It turned out that pigeons had the ability to remember their homes, so that they always find their way back to both people.

She rolled up the letter and folded up to the point to where it fitted the small slot on the pigeon's leg and looked outside her boat's window.

Once it stopped raining she would send the pigeon on its journey, not time to eat.

A few hours latter…

She then placed her hands out the window where the pigeon was sitting and swung her hands forward, forcing the pigeon to take flight.

The pigeon flapped its wings and flew… and flew… and flew until it was past Emily's line of sight. It flew ahead of the ship and reached Arendelle in under ten or so hours.

It flew over the fjord, past banks, that held its boats, over the town, and past the gates until it reached the pigeon coup of the kingdom. The caretaker immediately saw the pigeon fly in and lighted it up gently. He carefully removed the letter and saw that it was from the Empire, and at this sudden alarm, went to a guard and informing him to give the letter to one of the royals.

The guard, knowing that this letter came from a plagued city meant that there was something urgent that only a royal monarch could do, and because one of the royals was going to have a coronation in a weeks' time; decided that she would be the one to know about the letter.

He traveled up and down the halls and a few flights to see one of the many rooms the royal was in. He and the other guards are always informed on the whereabouts of the two royals.

The guard knocked and said, "Princess, there is a letter sent to you from an Empire, specifically from The City of Dunwall in Gristol. It is urgent."

It took a moment, but then the door opened to a crack, and out from the door was an arm with a beautiful blue slender silk glove that covered the hand up to the forearm, which than was held out for the letter. The guard placed the letter in her hand, and her thin fingers grasped on it and her arm was then pulled back into the room and she said 'Thank you' before closing the door.

The guard then turned ad began to walk to where he last was, and he always wondered why one of their fair royals always wore gloves.

But there was one though that plagued the guards mind as he walked away:

When he was handing the letter, why did her hands feel cold?

...

**AN: Tell me what you guys think.**

Sorry these two chapters took so long to get out, I really wanted to make the fight interesting.

Now which fight was better this one or the pirate one, honestly I want to know.

Also if you liked this kind of chapter I would add more monster's from monster hunter to this. You know once in a blue moon, I think it could really enhance the story

As always read and review, feedback is always important.

**Again, great thanks to MASTER T-REX again for editing and enhancing the chapter. Give him a look when you get the chance.**


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